Organic male impotence, that is to say erectile dysfunction, is in most cases of iatrogenic, hormonal, vascular or psychologic origin. Attempts have hitherto been made to treat this condition in some cases by injecting papaverine into the cavernous bodies of the penis. This technique presents various disadvantages. The administration of papaverine by injection is on the one hand painful and on the other hand dangerous. This is because it can result, in the long term, in irreversible lesions, such as the appearance of fibrous plates or nodules in the cavernous bodies. It sometimes also causes excessively prolonged erections, which have to be treated with other injections in order to reduce them. It has also been proposed to treat erectile dysfunction by purely mechanical means consisting of a pneumatic vacuum device which is fitted around the penis in order to provoke its erection. A ring then blocks any escape of blood from the cavernous bodies.
It is clear that these known treatment procedures are unsatisfactory on account of their traumatizing and/or dangerous nature and the pain which their use entails.